[ her eyebrow furrowing, she opened her mouth to speak, ( already so used to having to block out memories as such ) a small smile found its way ( surprisingly comfortably ) onto her light pink lips as she nods a bit ]
[ Her light pink sundress she was wearing fanned out a bit as she stood on her toes, ( trying to act like she was looking at the books on the shelf behind him ) but in all truth she was trying to see if he was still taller than her ; he was ]
“ Y’.... Y’know,
to be honest with you,
I’ve never read this one..... “
( he laughs, ) desperate for the creeping anxiety to go a w a y;
It’s cold, on his back, clinging, itching,
[ BEGGING HIM ] to relive his fear,
to succumb to the repressed ANGER & betrayal
from those years of torture.
Armin swallows, then,
& with a slightly SHAKING hand, raises the book, returning it to her.
Her question strikes him as ODD--
( even she refuses to bring up the past, it seems, )
but it is a relief, & for a moment, the blonde allows himself a SMILE--
& to revel in how nice it is to see her smile, as well.
In this life, the weight of their sins didn’t seem so heavy, it seemed.
“ Oh, uh... w-well... “ He blinks, stares at her,
realizes he’s staring, & in embarrassment, immediately looks away again, a hand raising to rub the back of his neck.
“ It’s ...good. Studies are going well, & the flowers in our garden just bloomed--
But, uh... truthfully? It’s been.... quiet, I guess....
I..... I miss everyone, y’know?
Hey, Annie-- have... have you seen anyone else from all those years ago? “